Concrete mixer



T. BYRNE, JR.

CONCRETE MIXER.A APPLICATION FILED 050.27. 1920.

Patented sept. 12,1922.

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jyefzz gamas 22305,-, 5 Ww T. BYRNE, JR.

CONCRETE MIXER. APPLICATION FILED DE02?, |920.

1,428,941, PaIenIedsepI. 12,1922 A T. BYRNE, JR.

CONCRETE MIXER.

APPLICATION FILED DE02?. 1920.

11,428,941 Patented Sept. l2, 1922'.

T. BYRNE, III.

CONCRETE MIXER.

APPLICATION FILED 050.27, 1920.

I ,428, 94; l Patented Sekp. l2, @2%

IjIIIwI IIIII'v Patented Sept. l2,

UNITE@ TATES THOMAS BYRNE, Jn., on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONCRETE MIXER.

Application led December 27, 1920. Serial No. 433,180.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS BYRNE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at 358 East 115th St., Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Concrete Mixers, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to concrete mixers of the general type using a rotating drum for mixing the component parts of the concrete mixture. One of the features of the invention is to provide a concrete mixer of large capacity, adapted for use at high speed, which will require a minimum of space. The mixers heretofore used, in most cases, require considerable space at one side of the rotating drum in order to accommodate the wheelbarrows or cars which are used for carrying materials to the mixing drum, and also to accommodate a chute or other means which is used for loading` materials from the cars or wheelbarrows into kthe drum. In the devices heretofore used, in most cases, the mixing drum is proif'ided with a pivoted chute projecting from one side of the drum and adapted to be raised or lowered. The chute is lowered, filled withV materials from the wheelbarrows or cars, and then raised to cause the materials to flow into the drum. It is obvious that such devices require a considerable space at one side of the drum to accommodate this swinging chute and also the wheelbarrows and cars. Such devices there fore can. not be used where the space is narrow as is frequently encountered in cases where the concrete is to be furnished for building a new sewer in a street excavation, and where the mixer must be located in the space between the excavation in thecenter of the street and the sidewalk at the side which space is frequently very narrow. Thus in the mixing and depositing in place of the concrete employed as the filling between street railway tracks the concrete mixers as at present employed block the space between the outer tracks and the adjacent curb, thus causing a congestion of traffic, or necessitating the detour thereof. In my improved device the mixer may be located on a very narrow strip since no space at the side is required for unloading chute or for cars or wheelbarrows carrying materials. I aocomplish this object of my invention by constructing the device so that the cars carrying material thereto are conveyed up on top of the mixing drums from which position the materials are dumped into the drums.

Because of this construction no loading space at the side is required. This construction will be explained more in detail hereinafter.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device which may be readily moved from one position to another, and which may readily be firmly and rigidly held in place in any desired location.

In that form of device shown in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, Fig. 2 is a top plan view, Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale, Fig. 1 is a continuation of Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a view taken as indicated by the line 5 of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 isa view taken as indicated by the line 6 of Fig. 3, Fig. 7 is a view taken as indicated by the line 7 of Fig. 3, Fig. 8 is a viewv in elevation and of a portion ofthe conveying chain, and Fig. 9 is a top plan viewy of Fig. 8.

As shown in said drawings, the device comprises, in general, a rigid structure formed of channel irons, with suitable struts and braces. Such frame is composed primarily of two parallel bottom frame members or sills 10 each of which supports at its center three vertical uprights 11. The uprights 11 at about their center points support the horizontal members 12. At one side is arranged two inclined channel irons 14 connecting the ends of the horizontal members 12 to the ends of the sillsl 10. The inclined members 1a support the discharge track 16. Likewise, inclined channels 17 are arranged on the other side to support the receiving track 18. The horizontal members 12 support a platform upon which is mount. ed the track 19 which joins the receiving track with the discharge track. To one side of the track 19 is arranged a platform 20 for the accommodation of an operator.

Mounted on the sills 10, below the members 12, and between the uprights 11, are two rotatable cylindrical mixing drums 23 which may be of any desired construction. As here shown the mixing drums 23 are mounted on the supporting rollers 24 adapted to be driven by the `motors 25 through the pinions 26 and 27, or in any other desired manner. The details. of the manner of causing rotation olf the drums 23, and the details of construction oli' the drums themselves form no part of the present invention, as drums of the type shown herein are well known in the art. A

The entire structureis supported on railway trucks provided with flanged vv-heels adapted to ride on vwide gage rails 32, for the purpose of moving-the device Airom one location to another. Between the rails 32 e there is provided an additional'rail 32*A to form a pair of rails of narrow gage the saine as the gage of the tracks 16, 19 and 18 on the structure. e f

'The dei/ice is .provided with a continuous chain ,35, mou-nted between the rails of the discharge track 16,"receiving track 1S, and track 19 joining the two. The chain 35 is "supported ,betweenthe rails in a' suitable guiding channel 36 and is looped-atone end o' the device o'verthe driving sprocket 37 and at the `other end over an idler wheel 38.. The chain leads from the driving sprocket 37 at the lower end of the discharge track 16 upwardly between therails of the discharge track,l between the rails of thetrack 19, downwardly between the rails or the receiving tracklS over the idler wlheel 38 at the lower gend ofy the receiving track'iS, and

thence back along rthe undersideof the devvice where* its slack is supporft'ec'l 'by the Thechain 35 is provided' guiding strip 39. with vupwardly extending' dogs orlugs 40 adapted to lengage with the axles 41 of -cars 42 which carry `materials to the mixing drums 23. The chain 35 is adapted to Vbe driven by a motor 45 which drives the driving sprocket 37; 1 Any-suitable means .lor connecting "the motor 45 to the driving sprocket 37 maybe employed. in the drawings I have provided a vbevel gear 46 at theend of thefshaiit supporting the driving sprocket 37. yThe bevel gear 46 is ladapted to be driven 'by the bevel gear 47 vmounted on the shaft `48 which carries the Vpinion'49 adapted to be driven by a worm mounted on'the shat 50 which in turn carries apinionI 61 meshing with a pinion 52 von'the end ofthe motor shaft. A suitable clutch 54 of any desired "form adapted to'be operated-by the lever is provided ior the purposel of disconnecting power from the motor 45. The chain 35 is adapted to be driven ina direction to carryfthe cars 42 "up lthe receiving track 18 across the track 19 and thence down'the vdischarge track 16.

.Short rail sections 63 are provided at vthe receiving end of the device for the purpose of aiording a connection between the re-v ceivingitrack`718'and the rails 32 and 32a. The' track sections `63 are pivoted at 64 land adapted 'to be raised andfolded out of the way when'the structurey is being moved.V Likewise, .short railisections are vprovided 65 at the discharge yend orconnecting the dis- As shown charge rails 16 with the rails 32 and 322 rilhe track sections 60 are likewise pivoted at 61.

Means for moving the entire structure on .the rails 32 are provided as follows. The

yshait 48 is provided with a slidable clutch member 7,0 adapted to be moved by the operating lever 71 andl brought into engageinentwith the yco-a'ctin'g clutch member 72v which is provided with a bevel gear 73 mounted' on the shaft -7 5 which carries/the drivingl sprocket 76. The clutch member `is splined on the shaft 48`or`otlierwise a-r ranged in order 'to vbe' i'ion-rotatableY upon said shaft. The driving sprocket 76 is adapted to drive the wheels 79 on one ofthe trucks 30 by means oi" the chain 77 acting 75 adapted to mesh with the: bevel gear 7 4VVV on the sprocket 78 mounted ontheax'le 8OA Iwhich joins the wheels 79; e

Each of the mixing drums is provided Ywith a funnel shaped feeding hopper adapted to receive the contents of a car 42 dumped therein7 andteed the same `into the mixing drum. Any suitable kind of dump cari 42 v'may be provided for conveying niaterials to thehoppers 85.

Each of the` mixing drums 23 is provided with a discharge'chute`87 vin whichY the con-v` create miXture is discharged Jfrom the drum after it lhas beenmixed therein, to the'work,

orto other conveying mechanism. A. short pivoted discharge chute section orgate S8 is also provided in connection with each oi the mixing drums 23 to prevent lthe'contents from flowing out before .the mixing vprocess has been completed. lA 'dischargey chute section SS may be of any desired `l'o'rin and so constructed that in one position -it will holdA the contents yin its corresponding drum while the mixing is going on, and in another positionA will permit the 'contents of a drum to flow ironi'the drum into the discharge chute 8T. As hereshown, these@ tion 88 is pivoted at 39 yainl'when in the position shown in Fig. 6-will` prevent the contents-v of the drum 23 Aitrom, flowing out.

iio

When it is desired that the contents oi the drinn vilow into the chute 867. the section 88 is pivoted at 89 so thatits outer end will.

be lowered and rest in the chute 87, andA its inner side correspondingly raised. The-details of construction, andy operation of `the feedchute Jform no part of the present in'- vention, as there are various orins of such feed chutes well known inthe art. f

Near its center the structure is provided` withsuitable lifting screws 91 adapted to` be screwedkdown to give the structure a iirm support on suitable surfaces or blocking92 in order toi give greater rigidity-and sta-f1 bility the device, and prevent movement of it, in any'.y desired location. v v i In the operation `ot the device', thetwo 32', 'and 'the centerl rail fQaare'v laidy parallelvv rails to the course of work where concrete will be required. The entire structure is then moved to the desired location on the tracks 32 as hereinbeiore described. The screws 91 are then screwed down onto suitable blocking or supporting surfaces 92 in order to make the apparatus rigid and stable and prevent movement. The track sections and 63 are then put into place in order to form connections with the rails 32 and 32a as described above. Rotation of the mixing drums 23 is then commenced by means of the motors 25, and materials are conveyed to the apparatus in the dump cars 42 on the rails 32 and 32"'. Movement of the chain 35 is then commenced by means by the motor 45 as explained above. rIhe cars 42 are then pushed by hand, or' in any other suitable manner up thetrack sections 63 until the dogs 4() on the chain 35 engage With their axles. whereupon they will be carried up the receiving track 1.8 and onto the track 19. Then a car 42 reaches a point opposite and above one of the hoppers 85 in which it is desired to dump the contents thereof, the chain 35 is stopped by disconnecting the power from the motor 45 by means of the clutch 54, and the contents of the car is dumped into the hopper. This dumping may be done, it desired, by an operator standing on the platform 20. The contents oit the car 42 is discharged from the hopper 85 into the corresponding mixing drum 23 where it is allowed to churn until thoroughly mixed, when the discharge chute section 88 is moved to a position, as described above, so that the contents of the drum will flow out into the discharge chute `87, and thence conveyed to the work. Either one of the mixing drums 23 may be used alone, or they may be used simultaneously. If one is used at a time,

the other may be held in reserve, so that thev work may be continued if the iirst should be rendered inoperative. After the contents of the cars 42 are dumped into the hoppers 85 the movement of the chain 35 is again vcommenced and the car is moved ahead to allow the next one in turn to be moved to dumping position and the cars are then conveyed down the discharge track 16 until their axles become disengaged from the dogs 4() at the bottom, whereupon they will ride over the track sections 60 again onto the rails 32 and 32a whence they may be taken away to be refilled.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modiications. Changes therefore in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention as broadly as possible in View of the prior art.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a portable concrete mixing apparatus adapted for use in parallelism With and closely adjacent the desired line of deposit of the mixed material, a framing, a mixing drum, a track above said drum adapted to support material supplying cars, an inclined receiving track extending from one end of said rst named track, and an inclined discharge track extending from the opposite end of said rst named track, all carried by said frame whereby to be moved therewith to different points along the line of the work, for the purpose specified.

2. In a portable concrete mixing apparatus adapted for use in parallelism With and closely adjacent the desired line of deposit of the mixed material, a framing, a mixing drum, a feed hopper having an elevated mouth, an elevated track arranged adjacent the mouth of said feed hopper, an inclined receiving track and an inclined discharge track, all carried by said frame whereby to be moved therewith to different parts along lie1 line of the Work, for the purpose speciier. l

3. In a portable concrete mixing apparatus adapted for use in parallelism With and closely adjacent the desired line of deposit ot the mixed material, a framing, a mixing drum, a feed hopper having an elevated mouth, an elevated track arranged adjacent the mouth of said feed hopper, an inclined receiving track and an inclined discharge track, and means for carrying cars up said inclined receiving track to said elevated track, all carried by said frame whereby to be moved therewith to different points along the line of Work, for the purpose specified.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto yset nygfohand and seal this 14th day of October,

THOMAS BYRNE, JR. [n s.] 

